2013年-世界发展银行全球_Republic_of_Yemen_Student_Assessment___SABER_Country_Report_2013_44页_476kb

Summary of Yemen's Student Assessment System (SABER Country Report, 2013)

Core Content

Yemen's student assessment system is evaluated using the World Bank's Systems Approach for Better Education Results (SABER) program, which provides a framework for benchmarking and improving education systems. The report outlines the current status of three main types of assessment: classroom assessment, examinations, and large-scale assessments (both national and international), along with suggested policy improvements.

Main Assessment Types and Their Status

1. Classroom Assessment

• Level of Development: Emerging
• Description: Yemen has a formal system-level document, General Regulations for Examinations, which provides guidance for classroom assessment. However, it is not publicly accessible and is mainly used internally.
• Resources: Teachers' Guides, textbooks, and workbooks are available to support classroom assessment, but they are not always accessible to all teachers.
• Practices: Classroom assessments often focus on recalling information, are used mainly as administrative tools, and lack explicit grading criteria. They also tend to rely heavily on multiple-choice questions, offering limited feedback to students.
• Monitoring: Classroom assessment is part of teacher performance evaluations and school inspections, but there is no external moderation or review system to ensure quality.
• Policy Options:
  • Disseminate the General Regulations for Examinations more widely, especially in teacher training.
  • Develop and implement system-wide mechanisms to monitor and support classroom assessment quality.
  • Create item banks with examples of multiple-choice and open-ended questions and make them available to teachers.

2. Examinations

• Level of Development: Emerging
• Description: The General Secondary Certification Examination for grade 12 students has been in place since 1963 and is used for student certification and university admissions. It includes both Scientific and Literature sections covering subjects like Arabic, English, Mathematics, and others.
• Funding: Government provides regular funding for examination design, administration, and staff training, but the amount is often insufficient.
• Quality: There are no systematic mechanisms to ensure the quality of the examination. Inappropriate behaviors, such as question leakage and impersonation, are reported and addressed by legal authorities.
• Policy Options:
  • Ensure regular funding for all core examination activities, including data analysis and reporting.
  • Introduce external reviews and observers for quality assurance.
  • Provide regular training for teachers on examination processes and purposes.
  • Develop a protocol to protect student privacy when disseminating examination results.

3. National Large-Scale Assessment (NLSA)

• Level of Development: Latent
• Description: Yemen has not yet conducted an NLSA. The National Assessment System of Student (NASS) is currently under development and aims to assess students in grades 4 and 7 in Science, Mathematics, and Arabic.
• Policy Options:
  • Build awareness and momentum around the importance of NLSA.
  • Develop formal policy documents for NASS and secure a recurrent government budget.
  • Strengthen the organizational structure required to implement NLSA effectively.

4. International Large-Scale Assessment (ILSA)

• Level of Development: Emerging
• Description: Yemen has participated in TIMSS (2003, 2007, 2011) but lacks a formal policy document or plan for future ILSA participation. The ILSA office is adequately staffed and has experience with international assessments.
• Funding: Sourced from loans and external donors, covering participation fees, implementation, and training.
• Challenges:
  • Delays and errors in test booklet printing and administration.
  • Limited training for test administrators.
  • Inadequate dissemination of ILSA results within the country.
• Policy Options:
  • Create a formal document outlining future ILSA participation, including funding and organizational structures.
  • Ensure regular government funding for ILSA, including dissemination and reporting.
  • Develop a strategy for widespread dissemination of ILSA results to the public and key stakeholders.
  • Fund research on ILSA results to contribute to global knowledge on assessment systems.

Key Policy Areas and Development Levels

Quality Drivers of an Assessment System

The report outlines three key drivers of assessment system quality:

1. Enabling Context: Includes policies, leadership, funding, institutional arrangements, and human resources.
2. System Alignment: Refers to the alignment of assessments with learning goals, curriculum, and teacher training.
3. Assessment Quality: Focuses on the design, administration, and analysis of assessments, as well as their effective use.

These drivers are applied across the three main types of assessment to identify areas for improvement.

Status of Education in Yemen

• Yemen is a lower-income country in the Middle East & North Africa region.
• GDP per capita was $1,494 in 2012, with annual growth at 0.1% in 2012 after a decline of 10.5% in 2011 due to political instability.
• The poverty rate increased from 42% in 2009 to 54.5% in 2012.
• Enrolment rates in basic education increased from 0.5 million to over 3 million between 1977 and 2001.
• Net enrolment rates in 2011 were 87% at the primary level and 63% at the secondary level.
• Gender disparities exist in education access and completion.
• The Government of Yemen has identified key priorities for 2013–2015, including improving curricula, teacher manuals, and access to education for girls.

Conclusion

Yemen's student assessment system is at an emerging stage in classroom assessment and examinations, but latent in national large-scale assessment and emerging in international large-scale assessment. The system lacks comprehensive support, quality assurance mechanisms, and effective use of assessment data. Strengthening the enabling context, system alignment, and assessment quality is critical to improving the overall effectiveness of the assessment system. The suggested policy options aim to address these gaps and align the system with best practices.